December 2008

DONE FINITO! TAAA DAAAA!!!!

• Took my final final this week. God willin' & the creek don't rise, the sheepskin will be in the mail in February! BA in Communications!!! only 24 years later.

Succinct (I hope):

• Married nigh 24 yrs (June 1985) to a wonderful and talented man, Kevin (U.S. Army Bandsman for 17+ years)
• FurKids - two 13 yr old miniature dachshunds Tasselhof Burrfoot and Radar O'Reilly (born in the old Panama Canal Zone); one standard wirehair dachshund, 3 year old, Gimli Padfoot aka 'Kasper' ('clown' in German; born in Bavaria near the Swiss border). … pictures below…
• Returned July 2006 to the USA after a fantastic, incredible, wunderbar 3 year jaunt in Bamberg, Germany. Now in Washington state and actually enjoying it (I’m mostly Texan).
• Worked as a professional/executive secretary for 20 years.
• Intend to use my degree to teach communications (business, personal, etc.) in a high school or online OR become a Grant Writer OR Administrator/Director of a non-profit (i.e., a food bank, a theatre, etc..
• Was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis June 22, 2006 -- yeppers, on our wedding anniversary -- it's a mostly annoying, insidious, incurable disease, but oh well, if life bites you in the butt... bite it back.
• CRUSADE 1: Educating people about "disabled dogs" -- you don't have to put them down when they go down. One of my dachshunds (Tas, foreground in picture) blew a disk in May 2003 and was happy, healthy, in a cart for 1 1/2 years -- he's now WALKING (albeit drunkenly). Five years after the vet said I should 'humanely' put him down - he is a sweet wonderful pain in my neck -- and not because he can't walk properly... he can still beat his all-legs-working brother to the front door. He’s my DDMA -- Disabled Dog My ‘Behind’!
• CRUSADE 2: Educating myself and people about Multiple Sclerosis. I was diagnosed June 2006 - interesting at 40-eve. It’s not a death sentence, just another wrinkle in life to figure out. So far, it’s been fairly mild and interesting ... and rather annoying at times. There are injectible medications, lifestyle changes, and, well, education! Crusade #1 above taught me a lot about living life, figuring out what’s *really* important and ... GET ON WITH IT… so when MS came down the pike, I could do just that (mostly!).

Things I learned from my “Disabled Dog”
· take life as it comes
· if you can’t do it one way… oh, well, another will work
· take time to PowerNap – you never know when you might need the energy to look cute and pitiful
· take on the big guys – you just have more equipment than them
· take all the “awww” and “ummmms” and pity you can find – if someone thinks you are weaker, it only makes you stronger and able to show them What For – and anyway… you know better.
Amy
If life bites you in the butt... bite it back!